Kraken Community Iceplex
 The east entrance of the Iceplex in 2021 | |
| Address | 10601 4th Avenue NE |
|---|---|
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
| Public transit |  Link light rail King County Metro |
| Owner | Seattle Kraken |
| Operator | Seattle Kraken |
| Surface | 200' x 85' (3 rinks) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 27, 2020 |
| Opened | September 10, 2021 |
| Tenants | |
| Seattle Kraken (practice facility) | |
The Kraken Community Iceplex is the practice facility and team headquarters of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Iceplex opened on September 10, 2021, and is located in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
History
[edit]
In 2018, Simon Property Group announced their intention to redevelop the 55-acre Northgate Mall, located in Seattle's Northgate neighborhood, into a mixed-use center featuring hotels, housing, offices, and an ice hockey facility, in addition to retail space. The redevelopment replaced several parking lots adjacent to a nearby light rail station.[1] The hockey facility was to be used by and serve as the headquarters[1] for the NHL's Seattle expansion franchise who had recently been accepted into the league.[2]
Following a partnership deal with Seattle-based company Starbucks, the $80 million construction for the ice hockey facility, named the Kraken Community Iceplex,[3] began following the groundbreaking ceremony on February 27, 2020.[4] The Iceplex's 19-month construction was completed in September 2021, and an open-house took place that same month.[5][6]
The 172,000-square foot venue was designed by Generator Studio[7] and built by BNBuilders.[8] The facility has 1,000 seats around its main rink and 400 seats at two other rinks primarily for community use. The main rink was ready in the summer of 2021, and the other two were ready in the fall. It also has a restaurant, known as the 32 Bar & Grill, as well as health clinic.[6][3]
The Iceplex hosts the USA Hockey-sanctioned Seattle Jr. Kraken, a team which competes at many different levels of hockey; the recreation team plays in the Puget Sound-area Metropolitan Hockey League, the select team plays in the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association, and the Tier 1/AAA team competes at higher levels.[9]
The American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Kraken, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, started a series of games in Seattle and Everett during their inaugural 2022–23 season pending construction of their arena, playing games against the Abbotsford Canucks and the Calgary Wranglers at the Iceplex as well as Climate Pledge Arena and Angel of the Winds Arena in four games throughout October.[10] Two of the four games were played at the Iceplex, the former resulting in a 4–3 loss to the Canucks and the latter a 5–3 win over the Wranglers.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Rosenberg, Mike (March 9, 2018). "Northgate Mall plans huge overhaul with housing, offices as North Seattle transforms". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ Rosen, Dan (December 4, 2018). "Seattle NHL expansion approved by Board of Governors". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Baker, Geoff (June 30, 2021). "Seattle's NHL practice facility named Kraken Community Iceplex after partnership deal with Starbucks". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ Daniels, Chris (July 20, 2021). "A look inside the nearly-complete Seattle Kraken Community Iceplex". KING-TV. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (February 27, 2020). "NHL Seattle breaks ground on Northgate Mall training center, touting community aspects of both design and usage". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Baker, Geoff (September 9, 2021). "'It's a beautiful sight': Kraken's $80 million Northgate practice facility set for open house, public skating". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Kraken Community Iceplex – Generator Studio". Generator Studio. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ "Kraken Community Iceplex". BNBuilders. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ "Jr Kraken". Kraken Community Iceplex. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Rotolo, Gina (August 15, 2022). "Firebirds Announce Details for Seattle-Arena Game This October". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Arthur, Blake (October 21, 2022). "Firebirds lose in first 'Home Away From Home' game in Seattle". KESQ-TV. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Rotolo, Gina (October 31, 2022). "Firebirds Respond With 5–3 Win Over Wranglers". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 22, 2024.